When accessing the Internet (i.e., the worldwide web, the web, etc.), an Internet user typically launches or activates, via a computer, a browser software program such as, for example, Netscape Navigator™ or Microsoft Internet Explorer™. The browser program (also referred to herein as a browser) establishes a link between the user's computer and the Internet (via a modem and an Internet Service Provider (ISP), for example) and also provides a textual and graphical user interface, i.e., a browser interface, having a predetermined look and functionality, neither of which can currently be significantly changed by the Internet user. Thus, the browser interface remains relatively static as the Internet user navigates the Internet, moving from web site to web site, application to application, or HTML (Hyper-text Mark-up Language) page to HTML page.
Limited control of the browser interface is currently available via an executable software program that may, for example, add functional buttons to the browser interface. However, the additional functionality is added to the browser interface when the browser is initially activated and remains static thereafter. Thus, it is not possible for a browser displaying a browser interface modified as just-described to dynamically download information from an Internet site and customize itself, either when the browser is initiated or as the users navigates the Internet. Such a modified browser interface also does not provide access to the various browser Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for Plug-ins and interfaces. It is thus desirable to provide a method for modifying a browser interface, and to provide a browser interface, that overcomes the above-described shortcomings of the prior art.
When accessing certain web sites, it may be necessary for a user to enter a user identifier and password before being permitted to access data via that web site specific to that user. For example, most financial institutions, investment companies, and other service-providing entities, including, but not limited to on-line shopping web sites, permit a user (or client of the entity) to access his or her account(s) via the Internet. For obvious reasons, such access is predicated on the user entering certain user-specific information prior to obtaining access the user's account. For example, to set up an on-line account, a user may be required to provide certain user-specific information such as, for example, a user identifier and password. Once that user-specific information is provided and an on-line account is established, the user may only access his or her on-line account by providing the user-specific information as part of a login process.
It is not uncommon for a user to maintain a plurality of on-line accounts (with a plurality of financial institutions, investment companies, and other service-providing entities) that may be accessible via a plurality of web sites. While it is conceivable that a user may use the same login identifier and passwords for each of the plurality of web sites, such a practice is not recommended. In fact, a more desirable and recommended practice is to use different login identifiers and password for each on-line account. That will increase security of the user's on-line accounts and reduce the possibility of unauthorized access to those accounts if someone happens to obtain one of the user's login identifiers and passwords. However, using different login identifiers and passwords for each on-line account present its own problems; not the least of which is remembering each login identifier and password.
It is also desirable for a user to retrieve information from one or more web sites, without having to navigate to each web site. It is further desirable to obtain such information simply and quickly using an Internet browser.